Friday, October 22, 2010

Christmas Cards Galore...

I know, I know... it's not even Halloween yet. So why am I making Christmas cards already?! Well, since my husband and I don't attend any costume parties and we don't have any kids, we tend to not observe Halloween. Don't get me wrong...if we're home, I will still pass out candy and I would love to get more involved in the alternative harvest festival put on by our local church...but as I've only attended twice (thus far) I don't know how comfortable I am to suddenly step in and begin to volunteer.

As for Thanksgiving, this year we will be able to visit family (which is quite new for us, since our previous 10 hour drive - both ways - was much too difficult to make over the 3 or 4 day holiday break). Although I have never got into the habit of making Thanksgiving cards, I wouldn't mind starting a new tradition! My biggest concern, though, is finishing all of the family Christmas cards. In the past, this has been because I almost always have school finals in December....BUT this year it's because we hope to be closing on our new home by the end of November (more details soon to come!). I'm not looking forward to moving in to our new home during the snowy, cold month of December...but I am excited to be getting my very own SCRAPPING ROOM!!! :)

So you see, that's why I start my Christmas cards early! As of now, I've made 8 Christmas cards. And I've decided that instead of saving all of my card-making photos until after the holiday season, I would post them as I make them. This will allow me to share my creative ideas with friends and family and to also have more regular blog posts. I figure that even if family or friends see the card(s) that will eventually be sent to them...they won't know which one they're getting until they receive it! So...with that said. Here are a few of the cards that I've been working on lately. Most have been inspired by a particular designer or magazine picture, which I will try to include as well.

This reindeer/reflection card (above) and brick fireplace/stocking card (below) were both inspired by "butternutsage" - a designer on youtube. Here are the links to both of her cards: REINDEER CARD and BRICK CARD. On the reindeer card, I took inspiration from both the color scheme and the reflection of the reindeer upon the ice. On the brick wall card, I took inspiration from the brick technique used...I just changed my bricks into a fireplace and hung a stocking!

This last card (for today) was inspired by the simplicity of Kristina Werner's cards. She is a youtube guru when it comes to cardmaking and is well-known on the twopeasinabucket website. If you're interested in seeing her work, check out her BLOG!

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll find some time to post a few more finished cards over the weekend! Enjoy!